Rare birds forced down in storm

"Birds get caught in the eye of a hurricane and get trapped," Scott Bastian, a Boswell veterinarian and bird watcher, said. "They can't go through the wall of wind. When the winds dissipate, they fall out."

One of the birds was spotted in Somerset County for the first time ever - a Pomarine Jaeger. Jaeger is the German word for hunter. It has a dark cap on a lighter-colored head, a darkish body and is the size of a sea gull. It was seen at Lake Somerset. There are only six previous records of the Jaeger being seen in Pennsylvania.

Laughing Gulls, which are shore birds frequently seen at beaches, were seen at the Quemahoning Reservoir. They are seen here usually when there is a coastal storm, but are still a treat to see, he said. Sea birds gravitate to water, he said, and at times mistake wet parking lots for bodies of water.

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"Bird watchers in the state exchanged cell phone numbers because they knew the hurricane would bring something in," Bastian said. "We had people here from as far away as York County."

Another special bird seen occasionally here is the Red-necked Phalarope. A smaller shore bird, at this time of year, it is muted pastel blue with gray and white. During the breeding period it has a red neck.

When Hurricane Fan struck in 1996, two Black-capped Petrels were seen in Meyersdale. A White Pelican visited Lake Somerset a couple of years ago during a heavy storm.

"The Pomarine Jaeger left by sundown Friday," he said. "Some storm birds make it back to the ocean, others don't survive."